Hardening and tempering wire



I. WASHBURN. Hardening and Tempering Steel Wire.

Patehted Feb. 5, 18.61.

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IOHABOD VVASHBURN, OF WORGESTEH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF ANDP. L. MOEN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

HARDENING AND TEMFERING- WIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,361, dated February 5, 1861.

drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is avertical section of the ap paratus. Fig. 2, is a plan of the same withthe furnaces in section.

Similar letters of reference indicate cor responding parts in bothfigures.

The object of my invention is to harden and temper steel wire or othersteel in pieces of considerable length by one continuous operationwithout any danger of exposing it to so high a temperature as to produceoxidation or other injury; and to this end my invention consists in anapparatus com posed of two furnaces each of which contains a bath oflead or other metal or alloy fusible at temperatures below what arerequired for hardening and tempering, through'which the steel passeswithout immediate contact with the tire, and a bath of oil or waterinterposed between said furnaces. The steel is passed through the metalin the bath of one furnace and heated, then through the bath of oil orwater by which it is cooled and hardened, and afterward through themetal bath of the other furnace by which it is again heated to reduceits hardness to the desired temper.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, and B, are the two furnaces; C, and D, the baths containing thefusible metal or alloy, made of cast iron, each somewhat longer than itsrespective furnace and projecting throu h the front and back platesthereof. The said baths are covered, and their only openings are narrowslots a, a, in their upper parts outside of the furnace, for theentrance and exit of the steel. They are so arranged in the furnaces asto have their top, bottom and sides exposed to the heat thereof.

The furnacesconsist each of a simple oblong chamber with a fire grate b,and chimney c. The two are arranged in line with each other so that thesteel may pass from the bath 0, to the bath D, without difliculty. E, isthe hardening bath interposed between the furnaces to contain the wateror oil to quench the heat which the steel has received in passingthrough themetal bath C, of the furnace A. In this bath there is aroller (Z, to direct the steel into the oil or water.

F, is an upright reel arranged to turn freely on a stationary uprightshaft or standard G, near the entrance a, of the bath C, of the furnaceA, for the purpose of carrying the steel to be hardened and tempered.

I, is a horizontal reel having its journals fitted to rotate in bearingsina stand H, arranged near the outlet a, of the bath D, of the temperingfurnace, for the purpose of drawing the steel through the baths G, D,and E, from the reel F. This reel 1, may be turned by a hand with acrank, or by any suitable motive power.

The wire or other steel to be tempered, indicated by f, in Figs. 1 and2, is first wound on the reel F, and when the baths C, and D, have beenfilled with lead or other fusible metal or alloy and said metal or alloyhas been melted and brought to a suitable temperature by making tires inthe furnaces, the end of the steel is conducted from the reel F, throughthe baths C, D, and E, and secured to the reel 1. On the reel 1, beingset in motion the steel is drawn through the metal in the bath 0, inwhich it is heated to redness, then drawn through the water or oil inthe quenching bath E, and hardened by the sudden cooling, and afterwarddrawn through the tempering bath D, by which its hardness is reduced tothe proper temper, and as fast as it is tempered it is wound upon thereel 1. The metal bat-h D, in the furnace. B, may be filled with metalor alloy fusible at a lower temperature than that used in the bath C, ofthe furnace B.

It will be understood that in hardening and tempering with thisapparatus the steel is never exposed to direct contact with the fire,but is protected from the action thereof by the molten metal or alloy inthe baths C, and D. 1

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is;

An apparatus for tempering steel wire or other steel in pieces ofconsiderable length, composed of two furnaces A, B, out exposure of thesteel to direct contact each of which contains a bath C, or D, of withthe fire.

fusible metal or alloy and an interposed quenching bath E, the Wholeconstructed IGHABOD WASHBURN' 5 and arranged substantially as herein de-Witnesses:

scribed to enable the hardening and temper- W. W. RICE,

ing to be performed at one operation With- W. T. BUCKLEY.

